Page 48 of The Perfect Deal

29

JOSHUA

Nervous tension slowly began to replace the irritation I’d been feeling ever since the volleyball game. What in the world had that idiot Ethan thought he was doing, flirting so blatantly with Liberty right in front of Landon? It wasn’t like that asshole wasn’t around when Grady did what he did to her. Was he trying to follow in that douchebag’s footsteps or something?

I stepped out of the shower and dried off, trying to focus on the dinner I was getting ready for. I’d decided to wear a simple white button-up shirt and dark jeans, something a little casual but still nice enough, especially for an oceanside restaurant. Once I was dressed, I headed over to the mirror to fix my hair, but laughter coming from the room next door piqued my curiosity. With my comb in hand, I headed over to see what was going on.

The “little brothers” as I sometimes liked to call them were there. Well, the ones that had come along with us. Two of my brothers weren’t members of the wedding party, so they’d been left behind, but William, Arlo, and August were all in the same room gawking at themselves in front of the mirror as they got ready.

“All I know is that blonde is fine,” August was saying as I walked in.

“She’s hot, but I’m not so sure about her personality,” William said with a shrug. He noticed me first. “What up, bro?” he asked. “What do you think about Poppy’s friends from college? They all seemed to be digging you.”

I felt my face flush red for a few seconds, but then, I found myself shaking my head. “They’re fine I guess, but I’m not interested,” I told them. I found myself gravitating over to the mirror where they were all standing.

“Why not?” Landon’s voice said behind me as he came into the room. “Poppy’s friends are good looking, and they’re nice enough, aren’t they? Don’t you think it’s about time you found yourself a woman?”

I turned and looked at him, eyebrows raised, as I heard my brother snickering. He was likely dying to tell Landon to open his eyes, but he didn’t say anything because I would have to pound him into the ground if he did. “I don’t know.” It was easier for me to just let Landon think it was a possibility than to explain. “Maybe.”

A moment later, a bunch more of the guys poured into the room until it was so crowded, I could hardly even see the mirror, let alone use it. That was okay, though. I was ready to go. It was surprising that my little brothers’ room was suddenly the place to be, but I had a feeling most of these guys were just following Landon around.

“We should go make sure the reservations are good to go,” Landon told me about the time Ethan and his friend came into the room.

“Good idea.” I’d do anything to get out of there. “It’ll probably take the girls a bit longer to get ready. I’ll head over with you now, if you like.”

“Shotgun!” Ethan yelled, as if anyone had invited him, and before I knew it, all of the guys were headed out to the SUVs. Landon and Poppy had provided drivers to take us wherever we needed to go, so if he wanted to sit in the front with that guy, let him, I thought as I got into the back of a different SUV.

As we drove, I sent Hannah a text to let her know the guys were leaving, just in case none of the other fellows happened to think we should alert the women of our intentions. “Going to make sure the reservations are in order. Drivers are ready when you girls are.”

She answered, “I’ve been ready for half an hour, but some of these chicks are taking forever.”

It made me laugh. Growing up with a bunch of brothers may have prevented Hannah from learning some of the expectations some of the other girls had for how they were supposed to primp, but I figured some guy would appreciate it someday.

We pulled up to an oceanside restaurant a few miles away from the house where we were staying. Lots of other people were milling about outside, which told me this was a popular place. From the scent of lobster and other delicious seafood wafting through the open doors on the breeze, I could imagine why. My stomach rumbled as I got out of the vehicle and followed Landon inside.

He gave the host his name, and the older gentleman nodded. “Yes, of course, Mr. Johnson. We have our oceanside room ready for you. Is your entire party here?”

“No, not yet,” Landon said. “About half.”

“That’s no problem. Since it’s a private room, we can seat those of you who have arrived and escort the others back when they get here.”

“Thank you,” Landon said, and we followed the man around the crowded dining room to an area at the back of the restaurant that overlooked the ocean.

A wall of windows gave us the perfect view of the sun beginning to descend above the ocean, the sky already cast in an array of pinks, oranges, and golden tones that made the entire window look like a gorgeous painting. The blue of the ocean and the white of the frothy waves took on an otherworldly glow in the glint of the sun’s rays.

“Great room, Landon,” Ethan said, his voice pulling me out of my thoughts. “You know how to pick them.”

“Thanks, but Poppy chose this restaurant,” Landon said with an admiring smile.

“Well, you picked her, so my statement stands,” Ethan replied, finding a seat with a great view of the sunset.

I tried not to roll my eyes. Ethan and the others taking their seats made me realize I needed to be strategic in my seat selection. Landon had moved toward one end of the table, so I decided I needed to choose a seat further down. There were two empty seats on one side of William and another empty seat on the other side. I knew I could count on my brother to help me out. “Hannah can sit there,” I told him, gesturing to the seat on the other side of him.

“Okay.” His eyebrows furrowed, and I gave him a knowing look. Then he smiled at me and nodded. He knew the plan.

We didn’t have any time to discuss it anyway. Before I could’ve even whispered to him a plea to help me out, there was an eruption of chatter at the door as the ladies were escorted in by the same host that had seated us. They all gasped and exclaimed how beautiful it all was, but my eyes were on one face.

Liberty looked amazing in a sundress that made her sun-kissed cheeks glow. Her hair fell around her face in beach waves, making her eyes sparkle even brighter than usual.